Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing refer to two prime security services designed to identify the susceptible areas in enterprise security so that it could be resolved before any cyber attack. Often, they are mistaken to be the same service but are actually different from each other.

So, what is the main difference between vulnerability scanning and penetration testing, and which one of the two should you consider? Let us discuss this in detail.

Definition: Vulnerability Scanning Versus Penetration Testing

Vulnerability scanning searches your system for known vulnerabilities and lists potential exposures. Penetration testing, or pen test, is meant to identify architectural weak spots in the information technology network and assesses the extent to which a hacker could compromise computing assets for gaining unauthorized access to your system.

Note that the former alternative is usually automated, but the latter is manually performed by professionals experienced in computer networking. However, both are required by the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS. Let’s study each in detail.

Vulnerability Scanning

Vulnerability scanning refers to an advanced testing procedure that finds and lists potential vulnerabilities. These scan search networks, systems, and computers for reporting security loopholes. Being automated at its core, vulnerability scanning examines potentially exploitable spots in your business.

Vulnerability scanning is capable of diagnosing over fifty-thousand known vulnerabilities needed by several key cybersecurity specifications. This includes the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act or GLBA, Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council or FFIEC, and the aforementioned PCI DSS.

Vulnerability scanning can also be executed according to a schedule or done manually. Depending on the existing vulnerabilities, it may take as little as a few minutes to several hours. There’s no doubt that it provides passive vulnerability management and informs any weakness in the existing system.

Here are a few salient features of vulnerability testing –

• Frequency

Vulnerability scanning should be performed every time your network undergoes critical changes, or new equipment is installed.

• Reports

It offers a detailed overview of the vulnerabilities identified and changes that took place since the previous report.

• Focus

Vulnerability scanning lists exploitable software vulnerabilities that are known to date.

• Performed by

It’s generally performed by in-house professionals with authenticated credentials and does not call for a superior skill level.

• Value

Vulnerability scanning diagnoses equipment that’s susceptible to potential compromises.

Penetration Testing

Penetration testing refers to an elaborate examination conducted to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in your business processes. It’s considered one of the increasingly efficient techniques for discovering exploitable spots. It mimics hacking activities and tries to gain unlawful entry into your business.

Ethical hackers or cybersecurity analysts look for vulnerabilities and try to exploit those, resorting to a plethora of hacking methods, such as SQL injection, buffer overflow, and cracking passwords.

In sharp contrast to vulnerability scanning, penetration testing is extremely elaborate. It helps highlight the risks associated with particular weak areas in your business security, offering an unparalleled method of zeroing in on and remediating vulnerabilities across your networks and software applications.

Here are a few salient features of penetration testing –

• Frequency

Penetration testing should be performed twice or once annually, along with every time the web-enabled equipment undergoes substantial changes.

• Reports

It concisely isolates the compromised data.

• Focus

Penetration testing identifies exploitable and unknown vulnerabilities in typical business processes.

• Performed by

It’s best performed by an independent external agency and highly recommended to be done by two or three of them. A high skill level is mandatory for penetration testers.

• Value

Penetration testing discovers and lessens the number of vulnerabilities discovered so forth.

Conclusion

At Zenmid, we offer a comprehensive spectrum of cybersecurity testing services for small and mid-sized businesses, including vulnerability and penetration testing.